


IOU

by OwlosaurusRex



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, prompt piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 14:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4395221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlosaurusRex/pseuds/OwlosaurusRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joseph presents Sebastian with an old IOU note that he wants to cash in for a night on the town. It ends up being a cute date . Summaries aren't my thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	IOU

**Author's Note:**

> This was a fic written for the prompt "Just Once" suggested by vampirozi on tumblr. I wrote two pieces for that prompt and this is the "sweet" version. I hope it meets all of your joseb fluff needs~

Sebastian always knew that Joseph was very particular about certain things and that he had the uncanny ability to remember just about anything, but when Joseph came to him on a snowy Friday in December with a small slip of paper in his hand, Sebastian was surprised to see just how calculating his partner could be.

“What’s that?” Sebastian was lounging back in his office chair and when Joseph didn’t make the effort to lean forward and hand it to him, he slid his feet off his desk and reached for the paper.

“It’s an IOU.”

Sebastian eyed the slip of paper closely and frowned at what appeared to be his own handwriting. “An IOU…” He looked up at Joseph and shrugged in confusion. “For what?”

Joseph sighed and adjusted his glasses. “Remember back in October when you ruined one of my shirts?” Joseph paused long enough for Sebastian to remember before going on. “According to that slip, you owe me one “favor” and I’m looking to collect.”

Sebastian stared at him as if he were crazy. “That was _months_ ago, Joseph. Why did you hold onto this for so long?” Sebastian huffed in amusement and reread the note before setting it on his desk. “Well, I mean, I did promise, so I guess…” he looked up at Joseph expectantly. “What do you want?”

Joseph hesitated a moment and Sebastian saw nervousness in the way his partner fiddled with one of his gloves. If Joseph had been holding onto this for so long then he must have been waiting for something important...or embarrassing. The longer Joseph took to respond, the more anxious Sebastian got about it. If it was something like asking him to stop smoking then they were both going to have a rough time.

"Come on, I'm sure I can handle whatever you throw at me, Joe--"

"Alright. I want you to spend the day with me tomorrow," Joseph said quickly and the furrow in his brow betrayed the true extent of his nervousness.

Sebastian just stared at him a moment before chuckling. "Hey, I know I went through a rough patch the last couple years, but I'm getting better now. You don't have to use an IOU to get me out of the house you know--"

"I know that." Joseph interrupted him again and Sebastian frowned more out of confusion than agitation at Joseph's unexpected rudeness.

"Okay...then what's this all about?" Sebastian asked and leaned back in his chair to stare at Joseph studiously. His partner had stopped messing with his glove and had since tucked his hands in his pockets, which was a little unusual for him. "Just tell me what's up, Joseph. What do you want to do tomorrow that's so important you want to use your all-important favor?" Sebastian waved the piece of paper in a playful manner, hoping to ease Joseph a little though it didn't seem to do much. His partner shrugged.

"Well, I had a few things in mind, but really I wanted to go into town...maybe around seven, if that's alright. I could come pick you up."

"Seven? Sounds kind of late, don't you think? It'll be dark by then..." Sebastian drawled off and narrowed his eyes at Joseph questioningly. "Joseph...are you asking me out on a date?" He posed the question mostly as a joke and yet the way Joseph bristled and fidgeted in response offered a surprising answer.

"That's not exactly what I would call it, but...you _could_ call it that," Joseph mumbled and made a point of avoiding Sebastian's gaze.

"Oh."

"It's not like I'm asking for anything inappropriate, Sebastian. I just thought we could go out and have some fun, you know...just once." Joseph cleared his throat and before Sebastian could respond he hurried on. "But if that's too weird then I'll take the slip back and I can think of something else. It's really not a big deal..."

Even with Joseph's attempt at making his request sound casual and unimportant, Sebastian could see just how much the simple act of asking was affecting his partner. Joseph usually wasn't so easily shaken so this must have been important to him for some reason. Sebastian looked back down at the IOU and ripped it in half.

"Wha--Seb--"

"What? You're not going to need this anymore, right?" Sebastian smiled at Joseph's uncertainty and picked up a pen to scribble on the back of one of the pieces. "Tomorrow at Seven? Okay, anything in particular I should look forward to doing? I don't have to dress up do I?"

"No, no don't dress up, Seb. I've got some plans but...I think I'll keep them a surprise."

When Sebastian looked up at Joseph this time it looked as though his partner was trying to hide just how relieved he was and something about that was decidedly...cute. Sebastian snorted in amusement.

"Fine. I'll be ready at seven for our surprise date, then. Don't keep me waiting," Sebastian teased and pointed his pen at Joseph expectantly. "Now get out of here, it's late and you've been working enough overtime this week."

Joseph hesitated in front of Sebastian's desk a few more moments before smiling. "Alright, Seb. I'll see you then. Drive safe on your way home tonight, okay? It looks pretty icy out there." Joseph backed up towards the door and looked so much like an excited kid in that moment that Sebastian couldn't help his chuckling.

"You don't have to worry about me. Have a good night, Joseph," Sebastian said and watched his partner cross into the case room and out of sight. It took a few minutes in the silence of his office for the gravity of the situation to fully settle in Sebastian's mind, and he shook his head in confusion. This certainly hadn't been what he expected when he handed Joseph that IOU three months ago, but he couldn't say he was disappointed. Really, it would be just like any other Saturday Joseph spent with him and he had only called it a date as a joke so...obviously that wasn't what it actually was. And yet the look on Joseph's face made him second guess that. Either way, he doubted any bad could come from indulging his partner and maybe it might even be fun. He'd just have to wait and see.

 

* * *

 

 

Joseph was five minutes early which, honestly, shouldn’t have surprised Sebastian in the least, but it did catch him in the middle of pulling on his winter boots. His trench coat was a little thin for the winter months but he refused to buy a new one and instead invested in a variety of sweaters to wear underneath. Needless to say he felt a little bulky and even then Joseph looked a little disappointed that he didn't wear a scarf, but he didn't say anything. Joseph was always more practical when it came to that sort of thing and certainly more stylish, so seeing him in his black coat, thick leather gloves, and gray scarf was normal. He was a good looking guy for sure, and yet here he was dragging his coworker around instead of spending time with...well, a girl or something. When Sebastian stopped to think about it, he hadn't seen or heard of Joseph going out on any sort of date in ages, and he wondered if maybe work was taking a toll on his personal life.

Looking over at Joseph as he drove them into town, Sebastian didn't see any outward signs of stress, or at least nothing out of the ordinary, and while Joseph had been wrapped up in taking care of Sebastian's drunk ass for a while, things were different now. Maybe Joseph could take his life back into his own hands and do something for him for once. But, he figured that was what they were doing, wasn't it?

"So, where are you taking us, Joseph?" Sebastian asked and reached out to turn off the radio when a Christmas song started playing.

"Just into town. It's not far, though," Joseph said and Sebastian thought he looked a little excited. Good, Joseph deserved to have some fun once in a while.

"Huh..." Sebastian looked out the fogged window, trying to think of what Joseph could possibly have in mind. Here and there Christmas lights winked in the trees lining the street and on balcony railings, and Sebastian realized they were heading to the city center. "The traffic is going to be hell out here," he muttered and grew quiet as the tall city Christmas tree came into view. He gazed up at it as best he could as they drove by and as the brightly colored Christmas decorations became more and more numerous he turned to stare at Joseph in slight disbelief.

"Joseph...no."

"What?" Joseph tried to sound innocent to Sebastian's sudden realization but when he glanced over Sebastian could see the mischief written on his face.

"Oh Jesus, you're trying to kill me," Sebastian groaned dramatically and slumped in his seat when Joseph laughed at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just thought we might have a little fun in Adams Square. I've always wanted to come when they have all of the lights set up but I'm always busy," Joseph said and frowned as he slowed to search for a parking spot along the crowded streets.

"That's nice and all, but I don't skate, Joseph." Sebastian huffed and crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "I'm going to fall and break my neck."

Joseph's smile was just short of wicked as he squeezed his car into a spot and cut the engine. "Now, now, Seb, at your age I would be more worried about you breaking a hip."

Sebastian scoffed and gave him a shove when he started laughing. "Yeah, all right, laugh while you can, Oda, and we'll see who breaks what."

When Sebastian managed to wiggle out into the narrow space between cars, he could still hear Joseph laughing inside and he knew then that he was in for an adventure.

It was a short walk to Adams Square and a pleasant one, passing small shops and people nursing hot drinks and happy smiles. Sebastian hadn't realized how much he missed this, missed this noise and movement and _life_ in the city, and when the shops and buildings gave way to the broad city square, Sebastian was glad that Joseph brought him. Adams Square was wide and speckled with people in skates and the glow of thousands of Christmas lights. Each year the city set up long nets of lights in a tent-like spiral over the square and the colorful glow it produced could be seen from blocks away. They stopped a moment on the sidewalk and just watched as people passed by in little clusters and pairs gliding across the ice, and when Sebastian dared to glance at his partner he found he couldn't quite look away. Joseph looked so happy, in awe at the lights and the soft dusting of snow that blew off the trees, and when he looked up his glasses gleamed in the light.

"It looks like they added some new lights this year. Look, see the stars hanging from the nets?" Joseph pointed up at the display and it took more effort than it should for Sebastian to follow his partner's stare.

"Yeah, those are really something, aren't they?"

For a moment all Sebastian did was watch, watch the stars, the lights, the people, and listened to the quiet Christmas music that came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. He hadn't really noticed any of this since the accident; he didn't have a reason to, but leave it to Joseph to figure out a way to bring him a little closer to "better".

"Come on, Seb, let's go rent some skates." Joseph gave Sebastian's sleeve a tug like an excited child and was heading towards the tarp tents and tables set up for information and rentals.

"Joseph, Joseph, really, I don't skate," Sebastian called after his partner and took long strides to catch up to him, but by the time he reached the tents Joseph was already paying.

"Joseph...I can pay for mine, you know."

"I got it, Seb, don't worry about it, and I think you'll be able to skate. I'll help you." A pair of skates was shoved into his arms before he could properly protest and Joseph was already sitting on a bench to put them on.

"I know that I _can_ skate, I just don't...I'm not very good at it," Sebastian said but gave in easily when Joseph slid over to give him room to sit.

"Don’t worry so much. I'll help you, okay? It'll be fine," Joseph said in response to Sebastian's grumbles and carefully set his shoes among the others before hobbling over to the ice. Sebastian was much slower to rise once he got his skates on and had to lean on the fence to avoid falling.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it...just know that if I break something, you're the one who's going to have to pick up the extra leg work in the office."

Joseph laughed at that and offered his arm when they stepped out on the ice. He looked so steady and centered like it was no different than walking, while Sebastian's feet nearly slid out from under him within the his first two steps on the ice.

"Easy, Seb. Lean on me until you get your balance and we'll stay close to the fence."

"Hey, I can do it, I can do it," Sebastian insisted and managed to glide a short ways on his own before he started to trip and flail and curse colorfully. Joseph came to his aid quickly enough and for a few minutes they coasted along arm in arm along the perimeter of the rink, other couples and even little kids slipping past them with giggles and sideways glances.

"Fuck ice skating."

"Now Seb, you're already doing better, just try and stay patient," Joseph said and helped Sebastian to go a little faster. "See? You'll get the hang of it."

Sebastian wasn't so sure of that but he knew better than to voice his concerns lest he ruin that sincerely happy smile on Joseph's face. He was just like a kid after all.

"Joseph, you don't have to stick around with me the whole time, you know. I'm not going to be much fun out here..." Sebastian looked out at the other skaters and felt a little guilty for holding Joseph back. "Why don't you go out and have some fun? I think I can manage to crawl along the fence out here on my own."

The look of disappointment on Joseph's face was brief but potent and Sebastian really hoped he wouldn't mess this up for his partner.

"I want to skate with you." The simple statement was said quietly and in an almost shy manner as Joseph helped them around another unlucky person clinging to the edges.

"I know you do, and we're going to skate together, but why don't you take a lap or two by yourself? Just to get the most out of it, you know?"

Joseph looked unconvinced but after a few more minutes of slow progress he relented.

"If I take two laps on my own, then you'll let me skate with you the rest of the time?" He settled Sebastian in one of those hard stares he usually reserved for scolding and Sebastian couldn't help but smile in response.

"Of course. Hey, you never know, by the time you get back to me I could be skating like a pro."

Joseph laughed, winning a weak shove from his partner who only managed to throw himself off balance in the process.

"Yeah, alright. I'll be looking forward to your skating mastery when I get back then," he huffed and rolled his eyes at Sebastian before slipping away with a small wave.

Sebastian instantly felt Joseph's absence. He swayed and cursed under his breath, somehow managing to keep himself moving, if only just, and tried to follow Joseph around the rink. It took him a while but eventually he found his partner among the other skaters and marveled at how easy and elegant he looked on the ice. Joseph moved in smooth strides and stared up at the lights more than where he was going. At one point Sebastian was sure his partner was going to run into someone but Joseph managed to avoid it. He could practically hear the apologies Joseph was spouting and laughed to himself. It was amazing that such a kind and caring man was his friend, especially after all he put Joseph through, and Sebastian realized that he never really appreciated Joseph as much as he should. That had to change.

Sebastian watched Joseph for a few more minutes before returning his attention to his own frail attempts at skating. As much as he didn't want to be out there embarrassing himself on the ice, he knew that he had to do this. For Joseph. His partner wanted to skate with him and Sebastian was going to make sure it happened, even if that meant busting his tailbone.

A few shaky steps, one near-collision, and two bruised knees later and Sebastian wasn't sure he was making any progress. He'd managed to pick up some speed but it took him so long to recover from his first tumble that by the time Joseph finished his second lap Sebastian was struggling to get going again.

"Doing alright over here?" Joseph asked as he slowed beside him and watched Sebastian's stiff and awkward movements.

"Everything's fine. I think I'm getting the hang of it," Sebastian lied and Joseph didn't bother pointing out Sebastian's obvious problems of stance and balance. "You look like a natural out there, though. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, you _are_ from Canada."

The look Joseph gave him was priceless and for a moment Sebastian wondered if he would exact revenge somehow, but Joseph was too nice to trip him up. No, he'd probably get him back later. For the time being, though Joseph was exceedingly patient in helping Sebastian regain some semblance of composure and balance despite the grumpy detective’s assurances that he could manage on his own. After a few minutes of steady progress Sebastian decided he was done playing in the slow lane.

"Let's get out a ways so we can see the lights better," he offered and Joseph cast him an uncertain glance.

"We can, but..."

"But we'll be away from the fence, right, got it. But I'm a big boy, Joseph; I think I can handle it without having to hold on to something the whole time." When Joseph's uncertainty only seemed to grow Sebastian sighed impatiently and tried to push away from the fence. He wobbled and swayed but managed to drift out among the skaters, followed closely by his watchful partner.

"See? No problem." Sebastian smirked triumphantly as he started to make small steps and picked up an easy enough rhythm. Despite his progress, he knew that Joseph could skate circles around him and found it kind of cute how his partner hung back and pretended to look at the lights instead of Sebastian. Joseph was always such a mother hen, but he looked like he was enjoying himself and that was what mattered.

Time passed slowly after that in a lazy haze of slow steps and the soft scrape of blades on ice and Sebastian found it surprisingly peaceful.

"Hey, this is really nice," he said and Joseph moved closer to hear him over the sounds of the other skaters.

"It is. That's why I wanted to come out here. It's so...relaxing." Joseph sighed and gave Sebastian a peculiar look before glancing down. They drifted closer until their arms brushed and Sebastian smiled.

"I could probably get used to this," he said softly and when Joseph looked up again their eyes met.

"Yeah?" The look on his face was...distracting. Sebastian found he was more interested in the way Joseph stared and less in what his feet were doing so when he happened to lean a little closer to his partner for whatever reason, his balance was shot. It happened quickly, one wrong step, two, his arms reaching and feet slipping out from under him in a mess of curses and tangled limbs. In those few panicked seconds, Sebastian was certain he was doomed, could already see a painful future of paperwork and seat cushions, but when he landed it was on something far softer than ice.

Joseph's grunt was loud against his ear and when the two of them finally recovered from their tumble they found themselves in a cold heap of embarrassment.

"Christ, Joseph," Sebastian hissed when he realized he landed on his partner, and scrambled to roll off of him. "Are you alright? Hey..." Hands slipping on the ice, Sebastian managed to prop himself up enough to look at Joseph. He fully expected to see his partner in some sort of pain but the frantic moment of concern was easily broken by a very undignified snort.

Joseph laid back on the ice, disheveled and glasses askew, and when he looked at Sebastian he burst into laughter.

"What?" The laughter was contagious and Sebastian tried to contain his snickers. "No, seriously, what the fuck, Joseph? You could have gotten hurt you know."

"No, I know, just--" Joseph struggled to speak between bouts of laughter and by the time he managed to calm himself enough to form words, Sebastian had fallen victim too. "Your face when you fell, Seb, oh God."

"Hey! Fuck you; I thought I was going to bust my ass." That only made the two men laugh harder and they probably would have sat there all night if a kind older woman hadn't come up and asked if they were okay. After reassuring the woman and thanking her, Joseph heaved himself up off the ice and dusted himself off. Watching him try to regain his composure was almost as funny as watching him lose it and Sebastian had to bite his tongue to keep from teasing him.

"Well, if you're done laughing at me then why don't you give me a hand?" Sebastian asked as he tried to figure out the best way to get back on his feet without actually busting his ass this time.

"What? You mean you, the skating pro, need help?" Joseph's teasing was light and breathless from his earlier laughing fit, and he was quick to take Sebastian's hands and help him up.

"Jesus, I can't take you anywhere."

"But I brought _you_ here, Seb."

Sebastian glared at his partner but didn't bother arguing the matter when he was relying on him so much to get off the ice.

"But I think that might be enough fun on the ice for tonight," Joseph said as he led them back towards the rental tents and their waiting shoes.

Removing those damned skates was a relief and being able to walk on his own soothed some of his aching pride, but overall the most pleasant part of getting off the ice was the satisfaction on Joseph's face. Actually, Sebastian realized that this was the most expressive Joseph had ever been as far as he could remember, or at least since the accident. It was always so strange for him to realize that the Joseph he knew at work could be so different than this Joseph, the personable man who just wanted to see the lights and spend time with his friend. Or, go on a date with his friend maybe. Sebastian didn't linger on that thought for too long.

From there the two detectives walked through town and patchy snowfall, stopping in little shops and ultimately ending up in a candy store that Sebastian swore by. He used to come out there when Lily was alive and buy her little chocolates on occasion, so coming back to a place so close to those memories threatened to shake Sebastian up a bit. He was spared that sadness, though, by distracting himself with trying to convince Joseph to get _something_ even though he wasn’t too keen on sweets. In the end, Sebastian bought some hard candies and the two of them decided to share a hot chocolate. It took some coaxing to get Joseph to take more than just a sip but eventually he caved. The rest of their night was spent with laughter and quiet voices, brushing shoulders, and the cool leather of Joseph’s gloved hands encasing his own. There were no lectures about Sebastian needing gloves, no further jokes about his age, or complaints about his smoking, there was only this warm peacefulness that Sebastian had been unknowingly searching for. He hadn’t realized he was missing it until he found it again behind fogged glasses and fleeting smiles. Joseph was so much more than Sebastian first thought, more than a partner or a friend, he was beautiful. It was an odd thought and one he tried to shy away from but it came so naturally that it was hard to ignore. Joseph Oda was a beautiful man.

By the time they reached Joseph’s car their hot chocolate was long gone and Sebastian found himself smiling more than ever. It almost hurt, feeling this _good_ for once and knowing that it was only temporary. Just once.

This time when they drove back to Sebastian’s apartment they kept the radio on and kept the pleasant feelings alive with gentle Christmas tunes and Sebastian’s idle humming. The trip felt so short and before he knew it, Sebastian was looking out at the icy brick of his apartment building and wondering what good could possibly await him in that quiet cell on the third floor. He didn’t make any signs of moving for several minutes, listening to the entirety of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and half of Silent Night before he even managed to look at Joseph. His partner was watching him and forced a small smile when their eyes met.

“I guess this is it then.”

“Yeah.”

Joseph let a long pause hover between them and looked down at his hands on the steering wheel. “I had a lot of fun tonight. I’m...I’m glad you agreed to come with me. Well, I guess you didn’t have too much of a choice…”

Sebastian frowned at that and half turned in his seat. “I had fun, too, and I’m glad I came,” he said firmly and when Joseph didn’t look back at him he reached out to touch his arm. “Honestly, it was a helluva lot more fun than anything else I would have done.”

Joseph huffed in amusement and looked down at Sebastian’s hand.

“I’m glad, Seb. That...means a lot to me.” Joseph hesitated before resting his hand on Sebastian’s and brushing a thumb over his knuckles. There was a moment where they just sat like that, Sebastian turning his hand over to hold Joseph’s and simply enjoying the small connection. This felt too good, too real and important to let go and the idea of getting out of the car and leaving things like this, unanswered, felt terribly wrong.

“So, Joseph, why don’t we do this again sometime? I’m sure we could come up with something else to do next weekend or...something…” Sebastian let his voice melt away in the heated car and frowned at Joseph’s confused expression.

“I thought this was just once...a one-time thing. You know...since it was a ‘date’.” His hand tensed and Sebastian gave it a squeeze lest he try to pull away.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sebastian said and sighed heavily. “It is just this once. I’m never going skating again.”

Joseph chuckled at that but it was obvious that Sebastian’s joking hadn’t really put him at ease. “You do realize that if we did this again next week that would be….”

“A second date?” Sebastian offered, and the reality of it seemed to shock Joseph slightly. Sebastian let his hand go when he pulled it back. “So what? We both had fun tonight and it’s not like we need to make this anything you don’t want it to be. Why can’t we just go and...hang out like that again?”

Joseph was shaking his head before Sebastian even finished and started to knead his hands together in his lap.

“It’s really not the getting together that bothers me. I just don’t want you to think that this is what I expected from all of this.” Joseph’s voice sounded tense, almost guilty, and he stared out the window intently as if looking for a way to express himself in a meaningful manner. It wasn’t often that he got this flustered. “I mean...I might have _hoped_ , maybe, but not--I didn’t expect for you to go all out for my sake, or to make you second guess the way you feel or--”

Sebastian leaned over the armrest, reached out to him, and gently turned Joseph’s head to face him. He didn’t think about what he was doing, didn’t really care to, and was glad to hear Joseph’s worried words stop when their lips met.

It was a soft kiss, gentle and far less hesitant than either of them could have expected. While Joseph’s surprise was evident in the press of his hands on Sebastian’s shoulders, it didn’t stop him from leaning into Sebastian’s touch and the promise of his lips. What started off small grew and deepened with gentle touches and the occasional bump of Joseph’s glasses, a tender joining meant to stay that way. There was nothing inherently urgent about Joseph’s fingers tangling in Sebastian’s hair and the only real sign of _need_ was the graze of his teeth over Sebastian’s lip.

The sound of Joseph’s soft groan startled them both and left them hovering in that thin, breathless space between hesitancy and indulgence until Sebastian closed the gap and touched their heads together.

“Joseph...you don’t have to worry all that,” he whispered and closed his eyes at the feel of leather catching on his rough jaw. “You know I wouldn’t suggest something if I didn’t want to do it. Hell, you know I wouldn’t _do_ something if I didn’t want to do it.” Sebastian chuckled a little and paused when their noses bumped. In that quiet, foggy moment Sebastian felt himself wanting, he wanted to say more, and he wanted to ask for things he shouldn’t. He could turn off the car, take the elevator up, and they could be in his apartment in minutes. They could figure everything out in one fell swoop, but he knew in the back of his mind that that wasn’t the way to do things. Even if Joseph agreed to it, and Sebastian had a feeling that he would, it wasn’t how things should go. Instead, Sebastian took in a deep breath and reached up to cradle Joseph’s face in his hands. His partner made a low, confused sound when Sebastian leaned up to kiss his brow but relaxed nonetheless. “So don’t feel bad for enjoying some time together, alright?”

Joseph sighed softly and looked up at Sebastian with a small smile.

“Okay, Seb.”

“Good. So...you leave it to me and I’ll think of something to do next Saturday. And you better believe it won’t have any goddamn ice involved.” Sebastian snorted and Joseph gave him a playful shove before leaning back in his seat.

“Whatever you say.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Sebastian chuckled and popped his door open, deciding it was best for him to leave before he changed his mind. “You drive safe, alright? Text me when you get home or something.”

“Right, right. I got it,” Joseph said and looked at Sebastian with one of those warm little smiles. “Thanks again, Sebastian.”

Sebastian paused a moment, one leg already out of the car and returned his partner’s smile. “Hey, what are partners for?”

“In your case, for dating, it would seem.”

“Sure seems that way, doesn’t it. But it’s late, Joe. I don’t want to keep you out here for too long so…” Sebastian shrugged a little. “I’ll see you next Saturday.”

Sebastian was out of the car and hovering on the sidewalk when he caught his partner’s answer, leaning down and smiling at this man he’d known for so many years and yet never really understood until now.

Joseph adjusted his glasses and with only the slightest hint of relief in his voice, he said, “I look forward to it.”


End file.
